


Love Gone Wrong

by Music_Is_My_Muse



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Blackrom, Forced Marriage, Gen, Sadstuck, redrom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 22:57:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2365097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music_Is_My_Muse/pseuds/Music_Is_My_Muse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they were young, they were lovers. But the difference in their blood forced them apart, causing the War of Blood. Their story has never been revealed. Until now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is more of a re-telling of the Sufferer's Revolution, where he fought for equality for all blood colors. There may be smut in future chapters, and this will jump around in time some.
> 
> This is based on a Youtube video by Aquila Cat, called, "Homestuck - Hero - Signless x Condescension." Here is the link:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO7ecopqzlk

Prologue:

Executioner Darkleer pulled back his bowstring, looking to Her Imperial Condescension for permission to fire. She gave a slight nod. After all, it was what she was expected to do. The Signless looked up at her one final time. His eyes screamed for mercy, but they also sent her a message of forgiveness. Darkleer released his arrow, and the Condesce closed her eyes just before it struck true in it's intended target. She hadn't wanted to do it, but she couldn't risk her power being taken. She'd never regretted anything so much in her life. After all, the Signless had been her first love...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, please thank Aquila Cat, the inspiration for this! Honestly, I was planning on pushing this idea to the deep recesses of my brain and incorporating it into a different fic, and simply deleting this. But AC read this, and said she wanted to see more. So, in honors of Aquila Cat, let us begin!

Connie wandered up onto the beach. She knew she wasn't supposed to be there, but she wanted to see what dry land was like. She runs up on the sand and wanders the cliff face until she finds the mouth of a cave. She walks inside, her vision naturally being good in dark environments due to being a seadweller. She wanders inside, and sees a light. She follows it until she finds what appears to be a small camp. There are bedrolls, and a fire, and beside that fire is a young troll, about her age. "Hi," she says, startling him. "I'm Connie!"

The boy jumps up and backs away from her a bit, deeper into the cave. He considers calling for his mother, but decides to give the cute seadwelling troll a chance. "N-nice to meet you, Connie. I'm Karmene." He speaks quieter, "It's nice to have visitors, but you really shouldn't be here! You need to go home and forgot you ever saw me, and keep this a secret."

Connie frowns. She didn't want to leave her new friend, and didn't want to keep him a secret. She quickly comes up with a plan. "Hm... How about I keep you a secret, but we be friends and I come visit you?" She smiles warmly, hoping he'll agree.

Karmene starts to speak, but yellow eyes show up behind him and something pulls Karmene into the darkness of the cave. A feminine voice speaks, and is quite intimidating. "Leave now, or else!"

Karmene objects. "Mama, stop! She just wants to be my friend! She's not gonna hurt anybody!"

Connie nods in agreement, and this makes the woman sigh. "I... suppose it would be good for you to have someone your own age to play with..." She steps out of the shadows, revealing her as a tall figure dressed in a beautiful jade and black dress. "You may call me Rosa, for now, at least." She nudges Karmene over and goes back to what she was doing.

Karmene smiles and goes over to Connie. "So, what kind of things do you like?"

Connie was happy to finally have someone to talk to, especially about herself. She had no one her age at the castle, just people who would only refer to her as "young heiress" and "mistress" and "highblood" instead of her name. "Whale, that's an easy one! I like a lot of things, like-"

Karmene listens intently, and Rosa monitors them from the shadows, deciding that maybe not all highbloods are so bad...


	3. Chapter 3

Connie ended up learning a lot about Karmene as well, but it was obvious he and his jade-blooded mother kept secrets. They were very secretive about Karmene's blood color, and whenever she asked, they would simply answer with, "That is not something you need to know," or, "Don't worry about it, Connie." This made her wonder though, why they would keep it such a big secret. She fantasized that maybe he was secretly a highblooded prince, promised to be her lover, or that maybe he was the last of the lime-bloods and he had to keep it a secret or risk being wiped out like the rest of them. She had several theories, but none of them were very likely.

One day, Connie goes into the cave and finds Karmene filleting some fish. She takes a second knife and sits next to him, getting her own hands dirty as she works to help him. Her cuts aren't as clean and beautiful as his, as she had only watched the lowblooded servants do it, but she manages. When she finishes her first one, she smiles up at Karmene and shows it to him. "Did I do alright, Kar?"

He chuckles and his smile lights up the room. "Yes, you did very well for a first-timer. And thank you for your help."

They go back to cutting open their fish, and after a while she hears a hiss off pain come from Karmene, as well as the sound her his fish and knife dropping to the rocky floor. When she looks over, he has his hand clutched close to his chest and a grimace of pain on his face. "Oh, you hurt yourself, didn't you? Here, let me see." She reaches out to pull his hand away and tend to the would, but he flinches away from her. A look of shock and hurt crosses her face, and he immediately feels awful.

He speaks in quiet tones, almost a whisper. "I'm sorry, but you can't tell anyone the color, okay?" She nods and he shows her the gash on his hand caused by his knife. He drips bright, candy red blood onto the cavern floor. She'd never seen someone with this color blood, and she wonders what it means. Rosa walks up at right about that moment.

Rosa looks nervously between the two of them and walks over to Karmene, quickly bandaging his wound before turning to Connie. "I suppose we owe you an explanation, but if we tell you, you must not tell anyone. Not your lusus, not your moirail, don't even write it down somewhere. Okay?"

Connie nods and has a look of complete and utter sincerity. "Of course! I know how to keep a secret!"

Rosa sighs and begins to explain. "You see, Karmene is special. I saved him from the place I worked and lived, the brooding caverns. Trolls who have brightly colored blood like his are referred to as "mutants." They are normally culled as young grubs and normally don't survive the brooding cavern trials. I saw great potential in him, so I took him and we've been running ever since. You mustn't tell anyone, or he could very well be killed." She moves to stand protectively in front of Karmene, waiting to see how the fish-girl will react.

It takes Connie a few moments to process what she's saying, but once she does, she understands completely. "Oh... Wow, that's really interesting! And don't worry, this can be our little secret!" She smiles at the two of them in her friendly way.

Rosa and Karmene both visibly relax. And that was the day a highbloods kindness finally came to them.


	4. Chapter 4

~ Several Perigrees Later ~

Connie walks into the cave to get Karmene and hang out. Damien had been bugging her and hitting on her all day, and she just wanted to see the friend that always made her happy no matter how down she was, who was always there for her. When she gets to where Karmene and Rosa normally camp, she finds them missing. The fire has been stomped out and scattered, the bedrolls taken, and the footsteps and nearly all signs of life had been hidden. She looks around, trying to figure out what happened, and finds writing on the wall in red ink. She knows Karmene wrote it, because he used his quirk or replacing "o"s with nines, and "b"s with sixes.

"C9nnie-  
I am s9 regretful we had t9 leave with9ut telling y9u, 6ut M9ther said it was n9 l9nger safe f9r us here. I have c9me to admire y9u, and I have left a piece 9f my heart with y9u. Th9ugh we may n9t 6e t9gether in b9dy, I kn9w we will always 6e t9gether in spirit. I will n9t give up 9n what we have, and I will be in t9uch with y9u as s99n as I am safe. I l9ve y9u, C9nnie Peixes, and I always will. D9n't ever, ever f9rget that, please.  
~Karmene"

She reads this and collapses to her knees, sobs wracking her body. She's glad he's going to be safe, but she loved him so much and I hurt to know he was gone and may never return. After a while, she picks herself up and takes a snapshot of the words in her mind before she rubs them away so no one else will find out about the young mutant boy. She also erases all other traces of their existence from the cave before going home. She finds Damien waiting for her.

Damien is a fairly tall, violet-blooded seadweller. He's quite handsome, with his violet and black clothes and his fabulous violet cape. He wears the sign of Aquarius, and he is only one class below her family. He's cocky, and a bit of a douche, but he can be a good friend when he really tries. Damien also has two scars across his face, starting on the the left side and moving down towards he right. He speaks with an accent that only his family has, where the pronounce their "w"s as two syllables and whenever there is a "v" in normal conversation they pronounce it like a "w." She had learned to easily decipher his speaking pattern, much like people learned to decipher someones lisp. "Hey, Doll, wwhat are you up to this fine afternoon?" He has a smug grin plastered across his face, and it makes her want to slap him on this most awful of days.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now, Damien. Please just leave me alone." She keeps walking down the long hallway to her room, but he notices something off in her voice and chases after her.

"Come on, Connie, tell me wwhat's wwrong. I'm your moirail, aint I? I just wwanna make you happy. I hate seeing ya be all dowwn..." He pulls her into a gentle hug from behind, and she stiffens for a moment before relaxing into his gentle touch and lets a few fuchsia tinted tears slip down her cheeks. He wipes them away before he speaks. "Howw about I take you to yer room? Wwe can talk there." She nods and he gently takes her hand, leading her to her room. He knew a little bit about her "friend," and he thought about all the bad things he could do to him if he had hurt his beautiful Connie. He sets her on her bed, and wraps his arms around her, silently commanding her to speak.

Connie gets the hint, and starts spilling her little secrets. "I went to see Karmene, and he and his mom were gone. He said it wasn't safe for them there anymore, and that he's get into contact with me as soon as he's safe. And," She hesitates for a moment before speaking again, unsure about how Damien will react and not wanting him to be mad at her. "He also said he loves me..."

Damien has no idea how to react as his jaw goes slack and just kind of hangs open. He had always hoped Connie would love /him/, not some landdweller that she had met by chance. "Wwell... Do you lovve him back?" He sees a blush spread across her face as she speaks.

"I, um, I'm not sure. I've never felt this way about anyone. All I know is it hurts to know he's gone..." He knew this feeling very well, as it was the feeling he got every time Connie left him. He sighs and hugs her close, not saying anything and mix her feelings up even more. He wanted her to love him, but even more than that, he wanted her to be happy.

Connie falls asleep a little while later in Damien's arms, and he gently tucks her into bed, silently slipping under the blankets next to her. He watches her sleeping face, and can't help but wonder if she's dreaming about him, or that strange little landdweller with no sign to his name...


	5. Chapter 5

Connie walks into the large gardens behind the palace. She found herself thinking about Karmene. It had been several weeks since he had left, and she desperately missed him. Damien tried to cheer her up, but it didn't really help. She goes to her favorite flowers, the bright red roses. She plucks one, being wary of the thorns, and brings it to her nose, inhaling the gentle fragrance. A young slave by the name of Raslah walks up. "Highblood? I have something for you." Raslah hands Connie a piece of paper, and Connie takes it and folds it open. Raslah bows and absconds quickly. Connie looks at the note. It's from Karmene! She feels elated as she reads his bright red words.

C9nnie-

Please f9rgive me f9r my a6scence, my m9ther and I have 6een 9n the run c9nstantly and we 9nly f9und a safe place a few days ag9. Please meet me in 9ur 9ld h9me at midnight. I have a6served it and it appears to 6e safe. I l99k f9rward t9 seeing y9u again. 

~Karmene

Connie smiles and quickly buries the note beneath the rose bush, knowing no one will find it and not having the means to burn it. She has dinner like normally, then goes and waits in her bedroom until shortly before midnight. She sneaks out, being careful not to alert the guards by using the underground passages. She slips into the cave and makes her way into it's depths. It is pure darkness, and she clings to the wall so she doesn't get lost. 

She sees a small light around the bend and hurries closer. As she rounds the wall, she sees her handsome Karmene sitting next to a small fire. She speaks in a hushed yell. "Karmene!!" She runs to him and wraps her arms around him, holding him close.

Karmene smiles and hugs her back, burying his face in her long, black hair. "Missed me just a little, did you?" She nods and hugs him tighter. "Don't worry, I won't leave you again. I promise."

This makes her heart flutter. "Karmene...? Can I tell you something?" She looks up and meets his eyes, her own filled with nervousness and something he can't identify.

"But of course, my Heiress. My ear is always open to you." He smiles reassuringly at her, brushing some hair out of her face and behind her ear.

Her face develops a dusting of fuschia as she speaks. "I... I think I love you, Karmene..." 

Karmene's face turns bright candy red at this statement and he smiles, nuzzling her. "Connie, I've loved you since the first day I met you." He pulls away to look at her, gently cupping her cheek. He slowly leans down and connects their lips, and she kisses back readily, wrapping her arms around him. They break for a breath and look each other in the eyes with soft smiles adorning their mouths.

Connie leans against his chest and listens to his steady heartbeat. She sighs as he runs his fingers through her long hair, enjoying the gentle tugging. Karmene smiles down at her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Something lingers on his mind, though. "...Connie? We're going to have to hide this forever or get culled, aren't we?"

Connie looks up. She had never thought about it before, but it was highly illegal for the future empress to fall in love with a lowblood, let alone a mutant. They could both get culled for their relationship, but it was even more likely that just Karmene would be killed. His life was already on the line just for his blood color. "I... I don't know, Karmene. The way the world is now, we can't ever be together publicly. And if anyone finds out, they'll... They'll hurt you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself as they hurt you..." 

He sighs and holds her close. "Don't worry, my love, no one will find out. Maybe... Maybe one day the hemospectrum won't exist anymore..."

The fuschia blood sits up to meet his eyes. She speaks sadly, rather than angrily. "I'm sorry, Kar, but I just don't see that happening. People are so devoted, and they don't know anything else. It would bring down our entire civilization if the hemospectrum was just thrown out the reason like that."

Karmene sighs, closing his eyes and leaning against the log he was sitting against. He decided he would tell her about his dream another day. He simply pulls her close against his chest, and she relaxes and closes her eyes. He speaks as she is on the edge of sleep. "I know, but there will always be hope for my people..."


	6. Chapter 6

Connie woke up and got dressed quickly. She was going to meet Karmene again, as it had been a few weeks. He had told her their visits would be few and far between, as he had to come from far away to meet her, but they had agreed to set up the meetings. It was dangerous for him to come see her, but she kept letting her love for him get in the way. As she slips out of the palace and into the dark ocean waters, she thinks of someone he had been talking about an awful lot. Her name was Dianne. They had become close friends, and Connie worried that Karmene was falling in love with the olive blooded cat girl. Karmene had assured her that he and Dianne were only close friends, but there was doubt in her mind. He spent all his time away from Connie, how could she not have her petty doubts? 

Connie locks these thoughts away as she surfaces and jogs into the cave. Karmene is at his usual spot, and he smiles when he sees her approach. He stands and hugs her. "I have missed you, my love." He stands back to meet her eyes. "I have many things to tell you, but first I'd like to hear what has happened since we last spoke."

She smiles and sits on the log by the fire that serves as a bench, with Karmene following suit. This was one thing she was good at. "Well, we had another criminal in the Colliseum. Chose the stripe-beast. It was quite gruesome, but he was guilty so I guess it doesn't matter all that much."

Karmene frowns, not liking to hear about the lowbloods sentenced to an unfair trial in the "Empress's Arena." He banishes the unhappy thoughts as quickly as possible so Connie won't notice. "How have your studies been going? You are supposed to be crowned in a few weeks, are you not?"

Connie huffs. "Unfortunately. And I've been doing pretty well, I'm suprisingly good at politics. I've even attended a few meetings, accompanied by Grandy. He's pretty nice, and makes a charming date. Too bad he's an airhead subjugglator." Even on his best days, the "Grand Highblood" was vicious and merciless. He would often murder slaves on the spot, and it sometimes frightened her how careless her "friend" was with the people around him.

"Well, at least you're learning lots. Mother has been teaching me lots of things, as well." He pauses a moment before speaking again. "Connie? May I tell you something? Something secret?"

Connie perks up and smiles at him. "But of course, Karmene! You can tell me anything!"

He takes a deep breath before speaking. "Connie, for a while now, I've been having strange dreams. Dreams that all lowbloods have, but will not speak of. Dreams of a world that is free from hate and corruption, dreams of being free from the hemospectrum." He watches her reaction carefully.

At first, Connie is shocked. She doesn't know what to think. Then, she becomes angry. "You want to get rid of the hemospectrum?! Karmene, that system is in place for a reason! It's to keep the smart, responsible people in power! To keep this world from collapsing in on itself!" 

He flinches away from her loud words, but tries to reason with her. "Connie, please, let me explain! I just want us to be together! I want my friends to be able to love and be with who they want! I just want this world to be fr-"

She cuts him off. "No! That is not how this world works, Karmene! The Empress is supposed to rule!" Her words faulter as her breath hitches and catches in her throat. "Not some, some filthy mutant scum who should've been culled as a grub!" Karmene's eyes widen. He thought she was accepting of his mutantism, but now... He does not know what to think. "The only thing these dreams of yours are going to bring is pain and suffering! And I will not be a part of it!" She turns and runs out, diving into the ocean.

Karmene sits there for a few minutes before silently standing and drowning the fire in sand to cover his tracks. He absconds, beginning the two day trip home with thoughts of his lost love and their different blood on his mind. He realizes now. He is different than Connie.

 

* * *

Damien had seen Connie sneak out of the palace and decided to follow her. He saw exactly what happened, and was angered. That filthy mutant was committing treason, and he would not stand for it. He runs to the Empress, in her final few days of rule before Connie takes over. "Oh, Empress, I have come bearing unfortunate news. A mutant has become the lover of the Heiress and he plans to commit treason!"

The Empress looks at him before calling a guard over. "Go find the mutant boy. He will be sentenced to a trial in the Arena." The guard and Damien bow to her before leaving to find Karmene Vantas.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Connie received news that the candy-blooded Vantas boy had been captured by the Empress's forces. She knew if he wasn't immediately executed, he would be sent into the Arena. The idea of the Arena was very simple. A suspected criminal would choose from one of two doors, instead of having a true trial, while a coliseum full of onlookers- and the Alternia royalty- watched on. Behind those doors, two things await, with the suspect only choosing one. If the suspected criminal is guilty as charged, he will choose the door with a vicious, hungry stripe-beast behind it, which will then proceed to maul him to death in a great deal of blood. If he is innocent, he will open the other door, which contains the fairest maiden that could be chosen, being appropriate with his caste. He will then be promptly married to her, and sent home to live in peace with his new bride.

Connie did not want her lover to die under any circumstances. She may not agree with his views, but she didn't want him to be in pain. So, she did what was thought impossible. She found out which door was which, and she knew what she would do. She helped in the choosing of the maiden, knowing exactly who he should get married to, should he pick that door. She was horribly jealous of the woman she had chosen, but convinced herself she was doing what was best.

Approximately a week after his capture, Karmene was brought into the Arena, with the crowd awaiting him. He stood in front of the Empress and Heiress, and bowed deeply with respect. When he straightened, he looked Connie in the eyes. The look she gave him told him she had discovered what lay behind each door. She gives him the slightest of motions, telling him without notice by others to pick the door on the right. He slowly walks over, and the crowd grows silent. He unlatches the door, and when it swings open...

Out walks Dianne in a beautiful wedding dress, with olive green flowers braided into her long hair, with a bouquet to match. Connie smiles sadly, but knows he will be happy with her. A priest comes out and marries them before the crowd, a simple Alternian ritual. There are two short, blunt, wooden handled blades. Each lover carves their symbol into the other's chest, other their hearts, then recites, "I am eternally flushed for you." They hug to mix the blood on their chests, getting a bit of each other's in their own veins. After, they will be sent home to fill their quadrant. Usually this all is done as a quiet ceremony, one with no witnesses. An act done in the privacy of one's hive, a quiet decision in the night. Impossible to know of unless the couple tells someone directly.

Karmene is very stunned as he and Dianne go through the ritual, then are sent home. It is a bit awkward for them at first, but they had loved each other for several months. They ended up successfully filling their quadrant together, while Connie drowned her sorrows in drink.

Connie could not understand how her lover had been caught in the first place, let alone how someone knew he was a mutant. She blamed herself, for being so selfish as to desire him. But then, as the soporific effects consumed her mind, she became angry. What right did he have to dare to love her, the Heiress of Alternia? How dare such a filthy lowblood- no, mutant!- think he had a right to her! A war was raging in her mind, and she was powerless to stop it. Eventually, she passes out and a dedicated friend takes her to her room and settles her in bed. 

"Sleep well, my Empress." Damien speaks softly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you... But I had to do what was best. For you, and for Alternia." He kisses her forehead before absconding to his own room, worrying over what he'd done, and whether he'd been wrong to make the choice.


	8. Chapter 8

For many sweeps, Connie was a wonderful ruler for her people, following in the previous Empress's footsteps. She even came to have a title- Her Imperial Condescension. She ruled her people with an iron fist, believing that was what was needed to keep them safe and prosperous. But eventually, she started hearing rumors from her informants about rebellions. She heard of one led by a man named the Summoner, who was supposedly a brown-blood who could fly and speak with animals, and was extremely violent. The other leader she heard of, though, was called the Signless, and was entirely peaceful. They had one thing in common- they believed that lowbloods and highbloods were equals.

Connie knows that this defiance of the hemospectrum could tear their world apart and steal her power, so she does all she knows how to do- she conquers her enemies. She sends parties of guards and soldiers out to find both leaders, and they come back with one. The man known as Signless. She has him chained in the dungeons, and when she goes down to interrogate him and convince him to agree to her views, she is surprised when she recognizes her prisoner. It's her Karmene, from long ago. 

"K-karmene? Is it... Is it really you?"

Karmene looks up from where he is chained to the wall. He is beaten and bloodied, but still manages to smile. "Hey, Connie, long time, no see."

She isn't sure whether to be angry or happy. "So, you've started a rebellion against me, huh? You know, I won't really have a choice about what I have to do, if you don't call this entire thing off and agree with our ways."

He huffs out his breath in annoyance. "Can't you see? The hemospectrum is just driving your people apart, and making them weak as a whole! If you truly cared about your people, you would abolish this entire fucking system!"

Connie lashes out and slaps Karmene, splitting his lip. "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF NOT CARING ABOUT MY PEOPLE?! I HAVE DONE ONLY WHAT WAS BEST FOR THEM, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE'S WORK!"

His head snaps to the side, and he spits out some blood. "It seems we both have the same goal, then, don't we, Connie?"

This strikes a cord in her and she quickly turns and runs out, leaving him in the cold, damp cell. She runs to the Grand Highblood's portion of the extravagant castle and into his arms, crying into her moirail's shoulder. He simply paps her and asks her what happened. She tell him, and he comforts her as best he can. She had told him all of her stories about Karmene Vantas, what he had meant to her. How she regretted not being able to be with him, and how she regretted ever becoming the Empress. 

After a while, she quiets and relaxes in his arms, then carries to his own room and lays in bed with her. He brushes her hair aside, and calls Executioner Darkleer. "Get the pyre ready, we have an execution to attend for a certain mutant boy."


	9. Chapter 9

The time had come for Karmene to be executed. Connie had settled herself down in her throne and Karmene had been put in his burning irons and chained to the pyre. She watches with disinterest, but inside, she feels part of her breaking. She didn't want this. She didn't want her lover to be hurt. But she has a duty to her people, and they come first, before all else. She does want to postpone his death for a while, though. To others, it will seem like she's prolonging his suffering. But for her, she's keeping her suffering away for as long as possible. 

Damien had come to the execution, and he and the Grand Highblood are standing behind her. Her executioner is on a lower pedestal and is busy sharpening his arrow. Dianne and Rosa are brought to watch the events unfold.

Connie stands and speaks loud and clear. "Karmene Vantas. You have been on the run since you were a child because of your sick mutant blood, and then you dared to start a rebellion. I will not allow you to destroy our planet with your unspeakable plans. If you have anything to say for yourself, say it now."

Karmene takes a deep breath, doing his best to ignore the awful pain in his wrists from the hot irons. Then, he speaks with a powerful voice that raises hope in the lowbloods, even as he becomes a martyr. "I have been peaceful. I... I have been kind... I only dared to speak of what others have been dreaming for so long! I... I had dreams, too. Dreams of what might have been, if things had been different. If blood was simply blood. Where all of us--lowbloods, midbloods, highbloods--where we were all equal. If wishing for that is heresy, then yes, I deserve to die here. I have seen acts of the most sublime kindness," he glances to Rosa, "and the most vile cruelty." His eyes turn on the Grand Highblood, and the purple blood just snarls. 

He shifts on his pyre, and Connie has to harden her resolve and swallow back a few tears. She cannot shed them. Not here. Not ever. "They say powerful beings find anger when they have no room for love. I thought you were different." His eyes flick to Connie, meeting her gaze. She turns her eyes down. "What made you so? Why are you so afraid of  _change_? Afraid of those who are different than you? I realize, as I have for some time, now, that I am different than you. I have known feelings that none of you can ever hope to know. I have known the comradery of a friend who supported me against all odds. I have known a compassion of a guardian who took me in who no others would, and raised me to dream and hope! I have known a love and passion... that simply transcended definition. There is no use hiding it now... You all can see me for what I am! The signless, the sufferer, the mutant. My blood burns brightly for all to see. It is a flame of a revolution that you cannot ever hope to quell." 

He locks eyes with Connie again, as if saying  _look at what you've done_. "My memories can be erased, Connie, but my ideals will never die." Then, he voice cracks. "My only mistake was thinking I could change a world so infected by hate and corruption. You have taken the freedom of an innocent troll and turned his blessing into a curse! The pity you've taken on my disciple will wound her. She has known true love and you forced her to a life of solitude! Forced a mother to watch her son DIE! I see you for what you are... I've always FUCKING HAVE! I THOUGHT I COULD FUCKING CHANGE YOU! FUCK ME FOR BEING A FUCKING FOOL!"

Then, his anger dies down and a few tears trickle down his cheeks. "I am angry, because... Because I forgive you. I may be the biggest fucking fool on this planet, but when I close my eyes, I see a world where we all work together. And it is so, so beautiful..."

Connie can't take it anymore. She can hear the lowbloods in the crowd speaking in hushed tones, and she's afraid of what will happen if he speaks anymore. Her voice rings sharp and clear. "Kill him!" The executioner doesn't even hesitate before letting his arrow thunk straight into Karmene's chest. Connie immediately feels a pang of regret as she hears his dying cry of pain, but she forces herself to look away. She cannot get emotional here. She turns, ready to leave. "Burn the body, kill his Disciple, and sell the jade blood. Do not disturb me unless it's an urgent matter."

Then she goes off, going to her room to lock herself inside. She breaks down as soon as she's there. God, that was the hardest thing that she'd ever had to do. It was awful. And she still has another rebellion to take care of. She gets herself together after a while and washes her face, then goes to her war room.

"If I can kill my love, I can do anything." 

_And no one can stop me._


End file.
